Contribute to Work Health and Safety

Work Health and Safety is a legal framework designed to protect people’s safety, physical and mental health, and general welfare in workplaces across Australia.

All employees under state and territory Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation are required to participate in the management of their own health and safety, that of their colleagues and anyone else in the workplace.

It’s primarily designed to protect employees and workers (including contractors, subcontractors and apprentices), but that’s not all. WHS laws also protect customers, volunteers, members of the general public, and anyone else who might be affected by issues at a place of work.

What is work health and safety (WHS)?

Work health and safety (WHS) – sometimes called occupational health and safety (OH&S) – involves the management of risks to the health and safety of everyone in your workplace. This includes the health and safety of anyone who does work for you as well as your customers, visitors and suppliers.

It may initially cost money and time to implement safe practices and install safety equipment but is critical to the success of any business. Not taking action could also result in prosecution, fines and loss of your skilled staff.

Benefits of WHS

Creating a safe work environment is a legal requirement. Safe work environment in turn:

• help retain staff
• improve staff productivity
• reduce injury and illness in the workplace
• reduce the costs of injury and workers’ compensation

WHS requirements in Australia

Each Australian state has its own WHS laws and a regulator to enforce them. The WHS framework for each state includes:

• Act – outlines your broad responsibilities.
• Regulations – set out specific requirements for particular hazards and risks, such as noise, machinery, and manual handling.
• Codes of practice – provide practical information on how you can meet the requirements in the Act and Regulations.
• Regulating agency (regulator) – administers WHS laws, inspects workplaces, provides advice and enforces the laws. Check their website for WHS information and resources.

Visit: https://www.business.gov.au/Risk-management/Health-and-safety/Work-health-and-safety for further information

Things to keep in mind

Every business must always put health and safety practices in place as soon as possible and ensure that they:

• provide a safe work environment
• provide and maintain safe machinery and structures
• provide safe ways of working
• ensure safe use, handling and storage of machinery, structures and substances
• provide and maintain adequate facilities
• provide any information, training, instruction or supervision needed for safety
• monitor the health of workers and conditions at the workplace

Remember that we are all responsible for our safety and safety of others at workplace.

 

Sign up for an ‘Employer recommended short course’ by visiting Careers In Care Academy.  Go through a learner guide, complete a quiz and receive your ‘Certificate of Completion’

 

References:

https://www.business.gov.au/Risk-management/Health-and-safety/Work-health-and-safety